Meet the FTX CrossFit team

We are dedicated to creating a fitness community where everyone can thrive. Our gym combines expert coaching, cutting-edge facilities, and a supportive environment to help you reach your fitness goals. Discover a place where your fitness journey is guided by passion and professionalism!

Our Coaches

Our coaches are passionate professionals committed to your success. Each member of our team brings a wealth of experience and a personalized approach to help you achieve your fitness objectives. Our coaches are here to support and inspire you every step of the way!

TJ Lawson, Ashley Sell, Zane Roebuck & Mike Sell

Owners

MSP GYM was founded in 2017 with the specific goal of becoming the most client-centric and results-driven gym in the Greater Wheaton Area. Corporate gyms are known for penalizing clients financially for the silliest things, offering impersonal workouts, and putting profit over people. We are different. Our boutique fitness facility combines client-centricity and intelligent programming. We fervently believe that everyone can reach their unique fitness goals, and all of our fitness offerings are organized so that each and every movement can be customized and modified based on training history, age, goals, abilities, etc. We use evidence-based programming principles to help our clients succeed, and we meet with all of our members individually at least every quarter to ensure they’re making progress. At MSP, you are not only joining a gym, but a united community that is here to have fun and support you each and every step of the way. Get ready to join the most goal-driven gym family in the Midwest!

Carol Matthias

Coach

Tired of running 5ks and doing group exercise classes, Carol came to FTX CrossFit in 2012. She was quickly hooked on the variety of every workout and the community aspect. As she started at ground zero, not able to do many of the movements, and at a master’s age level, she is proof that anyone can be an athlete with consistency and effort. She got her CrossFit Level 1 in 2016 for her own development and started coaching soon afterwards.

Al Navata

Coach

Al got involved with CrossFit in 2011 when FTX CrossFit first opened. He was hooked. It changed his life. Ever since then he has been sharing this passion with members. Anyone that knows Al will right away appreciate this passion. Al has a way to make members feel welcome and a part of the great community that comprises FTX CrossFit. Al is also the owner of BoxRat, which is a mission minded apparel company serving the CrossFit community.

Tim Archold

Coach

Tim is married to Karen, and they have 3 girls, Eleanor, Lucy, and Abigail. He has been a member of FTX since 2017 and now loves coaching. He is also a freelance cellist, who has played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the Sydney Opera House, and regularly volunteers with the worship team at his church. Fun fact, he recently acquired a Salomon cello which was originally built in the 1760s. Here is an Australian, heavy lifting, workout machine, ready to prepare you for anything imaginable!

Joe Earley

Coach

Joe’s athletic background include gymnastics, triathlon, bike and obstacle course racing. A friend suggested he try CrossFit, and he became immediately obsessed by the various challenges associated with the sport.

Joe’s favorite aspect of coaching is developing athletes confidence by helping them performing skills they never thought were possible for them. Joe is motivated by helping athletes realize that age is not a limiter to become fitter, stronger, and more athletic.

Joe has been competing in CrossFit for 6 years and is a Level 1 CrossFit trainer. Joe grew up in Glen Ellyn, and currently lives in Wheaton with 2 of his 3 sons. Outside of CrossFit, Joe enjoys time with family and especially his 3 grandsons.

Jeremiah Clarkson

Coach

Jeremiah has been competing in CrossFit since 2016. He was a former high-school athlete looking for a way to stay active and get a break from his studies while in college. Though the hard work and new physical challenges were what initially drew him in, the community he found kept him coming back, and, ultimately, the community is what changed his life. Since then, he has shared his love for CrossFit with almost everyone he knows–naturally and unapologetically. Over the years of training, competing, and coaching, he has learned a lot, and wants to give back to the community by cultivating the same experience he was given for so many years as a member.

Heather Cisowski

Coach

As a Certified Athletic Trainer, Heather is passionate about helping athletes meet their fitness goals in a safe and healthy way. She has worked with athletes of all different ages and abilities and enjoys watching each progress in their fitness and athletic abilities. Heather has been coaching at FTX since 2013 and is a Level II CrossFit trainer. She loves the CrossFit methodology as she finds it to be a fun and efficient way to prepare for whatever physical challenges life throws your way. In her free time, Heather enjoys traveling, spending time with her husband, and volunteering at her church.

Mike Sell

Owner + Trainer

Specializations: Body Transformation Powerlifting Bodybuilding.

Mike graduated from Wheaton College in 2016 with a B.S. in Applied Health Science and has since used his education to make a difference in the world of personal health through a variety of start-up companies. He is Co-Owner and Head Powerlifting/Bodybuilding Coach at Midwest Strength + Performance. He holds many National and World records in the sport of drug free powerlifting. Mike’s best lifts include a 675 lb squat, 440 lb bench press, and 700 lb deadlift. Mike won Best Overall Open Bodybuilding at the INBF Southern Natural Bodybuilding Show in 2023 while eating a Chick-fil-A only diet for 16 weeks. Mike specializes in helping people build strength while obtaining the body of their dreams. Outside of the gym, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife, Ashley, participates in competitive eating challenges, and plays chess with friends.

Ashley Sell

Owner + Trainer + Nutrition Coach

Ashley is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach, a CrossFit Level 2 Coach, a Certified Prenatal and Postpartum Strength Coach, and a Certified Nutrition Coach through Renaissance Periodization.

She was a four year starter on the Women’s Volleyball Team at Wheaton College (IL), and she was voted MVP her senior year for her role as an influential and impactful leader. She also has experience competing in drug-free powerlifting competitions and she set the Illinois State deadlift record in the AAPF in 2017. In High School, Ashley was voted the Orange County (CA) Athletic Director’s Association Athlete of the Year for her achievements as a CIF State Champion & Captain on the Varsity Volleyball team & CIF State Swimmer. Ashley also had a professional career before becoming an Owner at MSP, which included working at a large Chicago law firm, as a consultant for a legal technology company, and interning at the White House.

At MSP, Ashley is focused on business operations, growth, helping her clients achieve their desired results, and optimizing the coaching and community experience. She can answer any questions you might have about membership, classes, training options, and connecting with the right Coach!

Andy Siar

Personal Trainer + Director Of Sales

Andy has been a certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal trainer (CSCS and CPT) since 2009, a certified bodybuilding coach and has also been involved in corporate fitness roles such as high level national management. He has coached a wide range of skillsets from children as young as 7yrs old all the way to professional athletes of various ages sports – and everyone in between! He joined MSP because of the environment that it presents, the people that run the business and his true enjoyment for assisting people of all levels of fitness to get to their fitness desires.

He has two children, Ryker and Wyatt, that are familiar faces around the gym world! Aside from time with his kids he enjoys playing lots of golf, watching movies and sports and of course eating delicious foods!

Erin Bregman

Coach + Personal Trainer

Erin is a CrossFit Level 2 coach and personal trainer. She was a competitive gymnast for 16 years and a gymnastics coach for 6 years. She found CrossFit just after high school and was welcomed with open arms into a community like none other. She found a passion for the new challenges CrossFit brought and has been competing since 2018. Moreover, she found a community that changed her life. She wants to share her knowledge and experience in hopes of giving clients the same life-changing experience she has had.

Erin’s favorite parts of coaching are teaching someone a new skill and watching someone set a PR in something they never thought was possible. She also loves seeing members lives change with the support of the community and healthy lifestyle choices.

Jeff Romero

Head Athlete Coach + Personal Trainer

Jeff is a certified strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer since 2016, and his passion for helping people shines through in everything he does. His journey into fitness coaching began during college when he worked at a physical therapy clinic. There, he developed a strong foundation in injury prevention, rehabilitation, and helping others perform at their best.

Inspired by working with elite athletes, Jeff pursued a career in strength and conditioning. He’s known for his warm and supportive approach, designing personalized training programs that align with each individual’s goals. Whether it’s an athlete striving to push their limits or someone simply looking to feel stronger and healthier, Jeff’s thoughtful guidance helps his clients achieve more than they ever thought possible.

Outside the gym, Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife and two Shiba Inus, catching the latest movies, binge-watching TV shows, or cheering on his Chicago teams at sporting events. His approachable, down-to-earth style makes him not just a coach, but also a partner in every step of his clients’ fitness journeys.

Education: BS Kinesiology: UIC ‘15; MS Applied Exercise Science: CUC ‘23
Certifications: NSCA – CPT, CSCS; USAW-1; CFSC-1; PN-1; NASM – PES, CES; DBC L1; APCC
Specializations:
-Strength and Conditioning / Elite Sports Performance – Middle School, High School, and Collegiate Athletes
-Adult Fitness – Personal and Group Training
-Health and Lifestyle Enhancement

George Truitt

Coach + Personal Trainer

George is a CrossFit level 1 Coach and Personal Trainer. He wrestled throughout all of high school and competed on varsity as an upper classman, earning all-conference his senior year. He’s done stints of CrossFit for several years, but really got into it in 2024 when his friend who was a Teen CrossFit Games competitor urged him to give it a go. He loves CrossFit and training in general because of the profound impact it has had on his health – helping him to lose 50lbs and add serious strength, helping him to be better prepared to take on life. He’s passionate about helping people reach whatever goals they have and helping them to become the fittest and healthiest version of themselves!

Unique Features and Facilities

We offer body composition scans with our 3D Fit scanner to aid in dialing in your training and nutrition, as well as lower cardiovascular disease risk. We have two single unit showers for added convenience. We also offer 24/7 facility access to our members.

Top-Notch Fitness Equipment

FTX CrossFit is a fully outfitted CrossFit box that features ample rig space, climbing ropes, GHDs, and top-tier conditioning equipment including bikes, ski ergs, and an Air Runner. Strength athletes will find everything they need, from a wide range of barbells and dumbbells up to 150 lbs, to a dual PRIME cable machine, Atlantis leg extension and hamstring curl machines, and a heavy-duty leg press. We also offer plenty of functional tools like kettlebells and med balls, making this a versatile space for athletes of all styles and goals.

Book Your No Sweat Intro Session Today

Take the first step towards a healthier lifestyle with a No Sweat Intro session at FTX CrossFit. Our team will provide a personalized tour of our facilities, introduce you to our services, and help you start your fitness journey. Schedule your session now and experience firsthand how we can support your goals!